ifIknew is a health initiative for young adults that uses a multi media approach, including social media and in person programs, to address the contemporary issues that impact the well-being, self-image, careers, and relationships of people in their 20's and 30's.

If I Knew is a prevention education project that raises awareness about risky behaviors that can profoundly impact lives.

Is HIV/AIDS still a problem?

There seems to be little in the news these days about HIV/AIDS unless it’s a story about a possible cure or vaccine. So is it still out there? Is it still a problem? Yes on all accounts. While there seems to be hope of a cure or vaccine, it’s still a long way off.
The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that in 2009, 1.2 million people in the United States were living with HIV/AIDS. They also noted that there were almost 50,000 new HIV infections in 2009. While people are living longer with HIV, the newest infections are likely to be drug resistant. An HIV infected person is less contagious when they are on their medications. However if they go off them, even for a short period of time, they are contagious. If you were to get HIV from that person, all the medication they took in the past wouldn’t work on you.

Because the news media doesn’t report much about HIV/AIDS anymore, and it is becoming more of a chronic disease and less of a death sentence (in the U.S.), there is less funding available for treatment and prevention.

The best way to get rid of HIV for future generations is to not get it in the first place.